TOP 100 OILERS: TODD MARCHANT (43)
7 years ago
When it comes to the most memorable goals in the storied history of the Edmonton Oilers, Todd Marchant’s Game 7 overtime winner against the Dallas Stars at Reunion Arena in the 1997 playoffs ranks a lot higher than he does on this list of Top 100 Oilers. It was, is and will always be one of those moments frozen in time for Oiler fans.
While that goal to upset the powerhouse Stars unquestionably remains the highlight of the decade Marchant spent draped in Oiler silks, the broadest body of work for the little speedster from Buffalo was that of a checker, a hard-nosed third-line centre who would torment opposing forwards with the speed and tenacity of a hungry dog on a raw piece of steak – traits that earned Marchant the nickname T-Bone.
Todd Marchant
Left Wing
Born Aug 12 1973 — Buffalo, NY
Height 5.10 — Weight 175 [178 cm/79 kg]
Drafted by New York Rangers
Round 7 #164 overall 1993 NHL Entry Draft
BY THE NUMBERS
Season | Age | Tm | GP | G | A | PTS | +/- | PIM | S | S% | TOI | ATOI |
1993-94 | 20 | TOT | 4 | 0 | 1 | 1 | -2 | 2 | 6 | 0.0 | ||
1993-94 | 20 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | -1 | 0 | 1 | 0.0 | |||
1993-94 | 20 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 1 | -1 | 2 | 5 | 0.0 | |||
1994-95 | 21 | 45 | 13 | 14 | 27 | -3 | 32 | 95 | 13.7 | |||
1995-96 | 22 | 81 | 19 | 19 | 38 | -19 | 66 | 221 | 8.6 | |||
1996-97 | 23 | 79 | 14 | 19 | 33 | 11 | 44 | 202 | 6.9 | |||
1997-98 | 24 | 76 | 14 | 21 | 35 | 9 | 71 | 194 | 7.2 | |||
1998-99 | 25 | 82 | 14 | 22 | 36 | 3 | 65 | 183 | 7.7 | 1376 | 16:47 | |
1999-00 | 26 | 82 | 17 | 23 | 40 | 7 | 70 | 170 | 10.0 | 1405 | 17:08 | |
2000-01 | 27 | 71 | 13 | 26 | 39 | 1 | 51 | 113 | 11.5 | 1271 | 17:54 | |
2001-02 | 28 | 82 | 12 | 22 | 34 | 7 | 41 | 124 | 9.7 | 1392 | 16:58 | |
2002-03 | 29 | 77 | 20 | 40 | 60 | 13 | 48 | 146 | 13.7 | 1532 | 19:54 | |
2003-04 | 30 | 77 | 9 | 25 | 34 | -17 | 34 | 163 | 5.5 | 1590 | 20:39 | |
2005-06 | 32 | TOT | 79 | 9 | 25 | 34 | 2 | 66 | 132 | 6.8 | 1363 | 17:15 |
2005-06 | 32 | 18 | 3 | 6 | 9 | -1 | 20 | 42 | 7.1 | 362 | 20:05 | |
2005-06 | 32 | 61 | 6 | 19 | 25 | 3 | 46 | 90 | 6.7 | 1001 | 16:25 | |
2006-07 | 33 | 56 | 8 | 15 | 23 | 7 | 44 | 115 | 7.0 | 850 | 15:10 | |
2007-08 | 34 | 75 | 9 | 7 | 16 | -3 | 48 | 93 | 9.7 | 1112 | 14:49 | |
2008-09 | 35 | 72 | 5 | 13 | 18 | -2 | 34 | 101 | 5.0 | 1046 | 14:32 | |
2009-10 | 36 | 78 | 9 | 13 | 22 | -16 | 32 | 83 | 10.8 | 1233 | 15:49 | |
2010-11 | 37 | 79 | 1 | 7 | 8 | -18 | 26 | 63 | 1.6 | 1050 | 13:17 | |
10 yrs | EDM | 678 | 136 | 207 | 343 | 28 | 490 | 1453 | 9.4 | 6976 | 17:42 | |
6 yrs | MDA,ANA | 421 | 38 | 74 | 112 | -29 | 230 | 545 | 7.0 | 6293 | 14:57 | |
2 yrs | CBJ | 95 | 12 | 31 | 43 | -18 | 54 | 205 | 5.9 | 1951 | 20:32 | |
1 yr | NYR | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | -1 | 0 | 1 | 0.0 | |||
Career | 1195 | 186 | 312 | 498 | -20 | 774 | 2204 | 8.4 | 15219 | 16:43 |
PLAYOFFS
Season | Age | Tm | GP | G | A | PTS | +/- | PIM | S | S% | TOI | ATOI |
1996-97 | 23 | 12 | 4 | 2 | 6 | 1 | 12 | 40 | 10.0 | |||
1997-98 | 24 | 12 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 10 | 17 | 5.9 | |||
1998-99 | 25 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 12 | 10 | 10.0 | 97 | 24:21 | |
1999-00 | 26 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 1 | -1 | 2 | 6 | 16.7 | 54 | 18:07 | |
2000-01 | 27 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | -3 | 4 | 7 | 0.0 | 138 | 22:57 | |
2002-03 | 29 | 6 | 0 | 2 | 2 | -1 | 2 | 5 | 0.0 | 120 | 20:03 | |
2005-06 | 32 | 16 | 3 | 10 | 13 | 14 | 14 | 26 | 11.5 | 281 | 17:34 | |
2006-07 | 33 | 11 | 0 | 3 | 3 | -1 | 12 | 19 | 0.0 | 173 | 15:44 | |
2007-08 | 34 | 6 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 8 | 25.0 | 106 | 17:40 | |
2008-09 | 35 | 13 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 16 | 18 | 5.6 | 259 | 19:56 | |
2010-11 | 37 | 6 | 0 | 1 | 1 | -3 | 4 | 4 | 0.0 | 86 | 14:23 | |
Career | 95 | 13 | 21 | 34 | 9 | 88 | 160 | 8.1 | 1315 | 18:31 |
NOTABLE
Just 20 when he was acquired from the New York Rangers in a swap that sent Craig MacTavish to Broadway at the 1994 trade deadline, Marchant arrived in Edmonton amid hopes by some he’d turn into an offensive centre who’d complement Doug Weight. Marchant, had, after all, put up 78 points in 65 games over two seasons with Clarkson of the ECAC before the Rangers drafted him 164th overall in 1993.
Aside from his final season in Edmonton, when he hit the free agency jackpot with 20-40-60 in 2002-03, Marchant never did show the same offensive flair with the Oilers. He instead earned his keep as a two-way player who could kill penalties and chip in offensively here and there. In that regard, Marchant was remarkably consistent – he was always in the mid-teens in goals and finished with 30-40 points seven times.
Marchant’s best work came during his years playing with Mike Grier and Ethan Moreau, a trio dubbed the MGM Line. Moreau and Grier provided the crash and Marchant provided the dash. They drew the tough assignments as shutdown guys most nights. For several seasons, many people, me included, considered the threesome one of the best third lines in the NHL.
THE STORY
Marchant scored 20 shorthanded goals as an Oiler, sixth-best in franchise history behind Wayne Gretzky, Mark Messier, Jari Kurri, MacTavish and Esa Tikkanen. The Oilers made the playoffs in six of Marchant’s nine full seasons in Edmonton. It was an era when the Oilers were barely in or barely out of the playoffs and when every post-season meant a date in Dallas.
In 1996-97, the Stars finished with 104 points to Edmonton’s 81. A lot of people picked the Stars to win in a sweep, five games at the outside, but when the Oilers, backstopped by Curtis Joseph, pushed Ken Hitchcock’s Stars to a seventh game – Dallas actually trailed 3-2 in the series before Mike Modano got the winner in Game 6 in Edmonton – the stage was set for Marchant.
Oiler fans have the sequence burned in their brains. Joseph makes a ridiculous diving save across the crease on Joe Nieuwendyk. Dallas gets another crack at Joseph after the face-off, but Weight gathers a loose puck, spins and hits Marchant, who races in on the backhand past a stumbling Grant Ledyard, goes to the forehand and snaps the puck past former Oiler Andy Moog. Fist-pump Glen Sather. Dogpile on the ice. On to Denver.
This series will look at the top 100 Edmonton Oilers from the NHL era 1979-80 to 2014-15, starting with 100 and working up.
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